Thumb-sucking preventer



J y 1949 R. B. HARTMANN 2,477,125

' THUMB SUCKING PREVENTER Filed March 25, 1946 IN V EN TOR. Ruio/ph B. Harfmann Patented July 26, 1949 UNITED. S T

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a thumb or finger guard for infants adapted for use in preventing thumb sucking.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a guard made of flexible sheet material such as plastic that is shaped to conform to the contour of the thumb and wrist of the wearer, and being pliable is readily adjustable over varying thicknesses of thumbs and wrists of the wearers.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a unitary structure in the appliance, whereby the thumb encircling member and wrist encircling portion are integrally formed, and wherein the plastic body of the appliance is preferably produced in a color that harmonizes with the color of the skin of the hand of the infant, thus rendering the appliance readily indiscernible to the eye of the ordinary observer.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an extra length in the thumb encircling member, that is, a length slightly longer than the length of the thumb of the average size thumb of an infant.

An additional object of the invention is the production of an appliance of the character described that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, strong, durable, comfortable in use and highly sanitary.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating to advantage the guard as applied to the thumb of an infant, and encircling its wrist, and

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the guard removed from the operative position.

In the accompanying drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates the appliance, as a whole, that is adapted to be fitted over or encircle the thumb A and the wrist B of an infant. The said appliance is stamped from a sheet of pliable plastic material and is preferably flesh colored to thus be readily imperceptible.

By virtue of the plastic consistency of the material of the appliance, it is readily adjustable over the thumb and wrist of the wearer even though there is a variance in the thicknesses of the wrist and the fingers of different infants or children using the guard.

It will be noted that a thumb encircling member 6 of the appliance has depending therefrom a curved strip 1 that serves to connect to said member 6, the wrist encircling portion 8, thus providing an appliance that can be produced as a unitary structure in contradistinction to other guards of this nature of which I am aware, and wherein the wrist portions and thumb encircling members are separable units, that are frequently made of cloth, leather or rubber and that become quickly soiled and are accordingly unsanitary.

It will be noted that the length of the thumb encircling member 6 is greater than the length of the thumb and loosely fits about the latter. This extra length is employed in the present invention to prevent the infant from placing the end of the thumb in its mouth, for it is obvious that if an attempt is made to suck a thumb the upper portion of the member 6 will contact the lips of the child and said end will be hard and tasteless, thus tending to break the infant of the thumb sucking habit. Furthermore, the loose fitting of the member 6 about the thumb affords a means whereby the suction exerted by the mouth is broken, for air will be admitted and thus the infant will be discouraged from continuing the habit.

As disclosed to advantage in Fig. 1, it will be noted, that a band, cord or ribbon 9 encircles the wrist, and is trained through spaced openings l0 formed in the side walls of the member 8. By virtue of this arrangement, and when the ribbon is tied in a bow as at H, the appliance can be retained on the wrist and in a fixed position about the thumb without danger of accidental displacement or contemplated removal by the infant or child from the wrist.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing it will be obvious that I have devised a most practical, eflicient and sanitary thumb sucking preventer.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A device of the character described formed from a single blank of pliable material and embodying in its construction a thumb encircling member and a wrist encircling portion, a single curved strip conforming to the contour of the thumb and wrist and connecting said member and portion one to the other, said thumb encircling member having an open upper end and overlapping solid side walls and being of a greater length than the thumb of the wearer, said wrist encircling portion being equipped with overlapping solid side walls, the side walls having perforations therein capable of registering when the '4 wrist is encircled, and means associated with said wrist encircling portion for adjustably and detachably securing the latter about the wrist of the wearer, said means comprising a ribbon adapted to encompass the wrist and trained through the registering perforation of the overlapping side walls of said wrist encircling portion.

RUDOLPH B. HAR'IMANN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

